A Bright Closet Door & Some Playful Painted Raindrops

Let’s all join hands and sing “Raindrops & Rose Paint.” Yes, that’s a bad Sound of Music pun. Please forgive me, Julie Andrews. But just look at how festive Clara’s room is thanks to the addition of some bright raindrops that we painted on the wall and a watermelon pink closet door.

Remember when it used to look like this?

Well, it’s definitely looking pretty happy these days.

Although the door color is actually more true to life in this Instragram sneak peek that we shared yesterday (iPhone for the win). And the pink drops are easier to see in real life (they seem to hide in these pics for some reason).

How did we get there? Well, a whole bunch of photoshop-brainstorming here resulted in over 900 truly amazing comments and ideas from you guys. And then we shared all of our original photoshopped versions of the canopy wall with Clara as well as some new ones that we whipped up based on suggestions from you to see which ones she liked best. We never would have thought of all the things you guys came up with, and one that rolled in over and over again was the idea of putting the raindrops outside of the canopy instead of under it like we had originally done in this rendering (which was inspired by this this charming project).

We loved the idea of the canopy appearing to shelter Clara from the colorful little raindrops, so this new take on the raindrops was one of the extra ones that we photoshopped for her to see (along with some other fun ones involving constellations, some bold paint on that full wall behind the bed, a few different colors of paint on the closet door to the right of her bed, etc).

And let me tell you, Clara’s a decisive girl. After about 2.5 seconds she looked at them all and said “I like the raindrops on the wall outside but I want them to be pink and red and blue, and I want the door to be pink – but not light pink. DARK PINK!” Which led me to making this photoshopped image for “final approval” from Clara.

And here’s how it went over…

It’s hilarious to me how we go full circle on the “I love the dark pink door… now make it dark pink!” – but I’m obsessed with the door color that we ended up with, so Clara was right. It wasn’t pink or dark enough in the photoshopped version above, but somehow we got it right with real paint.

In short, she’s a decorating genius (along with you genius readers and all of your genius suggestions). The cutest thing of all is that when she saw me painting the raindrops she said “Wowwww! Mom I really like it real! Even better than the computer!” And when it was all done (including the pink door, which she incessantly reminded me about until it was done) she walked in and said “It’s….. truly magnificent!” It’s is a quote from one of her favorite books (Room On The Broom) and it had John and I rolling on the floor. Seriously, it was the sweetest moment and I wish we had thought to record it.

The raindrops are actually just painted right onto the wall using a simple cardboard stencil that I made. To make the template for it, I used an old page from an activity book that Clara had ripped out and tossed aside (waste not, want not) and folded it in half vertically and just cut a half-teardrop-ish shape from it and unfolded it. I liked the scale and it was nice and symmetrical since I used the folded technique, so I traced that onto the back of a cracker box and cut it out to create a cardboard template.

Then I brought my laptop into her room so I could reference my photoshopped placement of the drops (although I didn’t mimic it exactly) and just traced the cardboard shape directly onto the wall with a pencil, randomly staggering them around that wall. There was zero measuring involved since I didn’t want them to be perfectly placed (rain seems to fall more randomly than that anyway) so I just stood back and checked out the wall and sort of eyed everything as I went.

I assumed we’d have to run to the store for some $2.99 test pots of paint in pink, blue, and red as Clara requested – but I looked in the garage at what we had, and was thrilled to find an old dusty quart of blue paint leftover from a few years ago (the color is called Tranquil) and remembered that we had some pink leftover from Clara’s ceiling (Pink Cadillac) and there was also about half of a quart of a bold poppy-red color called Milano Red from a few years back (don’t even remember what we used that for!). But if you don’t have a paint hoarding problem like me, three test pots would do the job for under $9 – so either way this is a simple and low-budget update, especially since you can make your own stencil for it!

After digging those out, I shook them up, and popped the lids off all three of them, and just laid them out on the white dresser top in her room to see how the colors worked in there (it helped to see them on a white surface since the wall is white so it gave me a good idea of how they’d work together – although paint dries darker so I knew the light pink would show up more on the wall). One happy accident about finding all of these colors in the garage was that they all had varying intensities (see how the red is the boldest one and the blue is sort of the mid-tone and the pink is light and soft?) which I realize now in hindsight might have helped the whole project come out slightly less busy than if all three colors were super bold and sort of compete-y with each other.

I was sold, so I called John and Clara up to see them and they both gave me the thumbs up and left before I could put them to work (smart people), so I dove into filling all of my pencil-traced raindrops on the wall using a very small craft brush. I worked with one color at a time, doing all of the blue ones first (I consulted my photoshopped image but went rogue a few times if I thought a different color order would look better in some spots) and then moved onto the light pink ones and finished with the bold red ones.

Each color ended up needing two coats, so by the time I finished the red ones I went back in and did the second coat on the blue ones and then did the second coat on the pink and then the red. Total time spent tracing them onto the wall and painting = less than two hours. Oh and my favorites are the ones that drip into something (like the door frame or the canopy) just because their cut-off shape is so playful. It really does feel raindrop-esque in there now, and I’m so glad that Clara loves it as much as we do (she did admit that the red raindrops are her favorite, but she “likes them all mixed up like that because it’s like a rainbow”).

Then it was time to paint the door, so after holding up a bunch of swatches to try to find one that was slightly pinker and darker than the photoshopped image that Clara had otherwise signed off on, we headed to the store to grab a quart of the winning color: Cinco De Mayo. The hilarious thing about that color name is that I thought “since I have so much leftover paint that I can’t even remember in the garage, I should go through it to see if I have some of that color by some paint miracle” and I found one can that said Mardi Gras on it and totally did the happy dance and then my brain said “Cinco De Mayo and Mardi Gras are not the same paint color” (oddly enough they were kind of close except Mardi Gras was a little more neon).

So we ran to the store and bought a quart of Cinco De Mayo and it just took two coats (and a third pass of just touch ups) to get it done with a small foam roller and a small angled brush to get into the frames of the door (you can read more on door-painting here). We did both sides of the door just so that whether it’s open or closed there’s that pop of color over there.

Oh and to everyone who recommended painting that door, you were totally right! Initially I worried about the wall feeling unbalanced if we painted it, but the polka dot wall of curtains (there are four of them) to the left of the canopy seems to visually balance the bright door so it’s not an issue at all. I also worried it would look weird to have one colorful door in her room (that’s her closet door) while the door to her room (from the hallway) remains white, but it’s not a big deal in real life. I just had to get over my matchy-matchy thing (all of the doors in all of our houses have always been white)… but once I saw this one on Pinterest I was all over it. I’ve always wanted to make that closet feel like a little playhouse within the room for Clara, and the bold door is the first step to that.

Of course we still have a big blank spot over her bed (we think maybe hanging a white paper pendant might be fun, sort of like the lamp in the photoshopped version) and her room is still full of white walls everywhere else (can’t wait to hang some art, do some projects with Clara, and eventually get her crib outta there so we can have some fun with the wall where that lives). But it’s a whole lot happier with those raindrops and that colorful door in full effect.

What did you guys do this weekend? Any stencil making? Or door painting? How about cry-laughing when your three year old says “magnificent” – that might have been my favorite part.

Psst- Wanna know where we got something in our house? Just click on this button:

We were derailed this weekend…it happens. No track lighting install for me, boohoo. I managed to take a pic of a small sewing project (camera strap: http://kaesey.wordpress.com/2013/10/28/unexpected/) but that’s it. Oh well. There’s always next weekend.

I love how whimsical this is! I would love to see it with the twinkle lights on. Has it stopped raining for you yet? I thought the raindrops were a perfect way to usher in our first rainy day of the season in sunny California. :)

Yes, it has finally cleared up, although this weekend was too cold to grout so John’s out there right now working on it! The scary thing is that it’s supposed to rain again on Wednesday so we have a small window to get this done! Here’s hoping…

I really like the color palette this room’s got now. The red/pink/blue really ties in the rug with the other warmer elements. And Clara’s little shelter from the rain! Perfect for snuggling up with a good book.

We didn’t do much DIY this weekend, but we are talking about a recent project on our blog where our plan to refurbish a vintage toy highchair was sidelined by dangerous lead paint (luckily we tested before going too far):

Maybe a fun Chinese lantern hung under the canopy for now would do the job as a place-holder?
We attended a Fall Festival this weekend where the kids got to see how people lived in New Salem, Illinois when Lincoln lived there in the 1830s. We all loved it.

Wow, so cool! And I LOVE that dark pink (emphasis on dark!) door. When you posted the ideas last week, I kept thinking how even though I love that rug it just wasn’t working for me with the rest of the room and now it is PERFECT! Love, love, love how it looks with the dark pink door. Can’t wait to see what you end up with for the inside of the canopy.

I wasn’t nearly as productive/creative as you this weekend but I did finally conquer my 7th-grade sewing fears and broke out the older-than-me sewing machine my mom had sent me years ago. I have a long way to go before I can say I like sewing or can do much more than a straight hem, but I made a simple decorative pillow cover and am feeling very accomplished!

Looks adorable! My hubby and I are in the process of painting all the interior doors of our 1960’s ranch black. We are also adding decorative trim to them to create faux panels since they are all smooth surfaced hollow core doors. Can you say time-consuming? But we love how they are all being transformed. Only 4 more to go and we’ll be done! Can’t wait to see what else is going to be done to finish Clara’s room!

It turned out so cute! I love all of it!
I’m just wondering, why didn’t you cut out the rain drop shape and then use the remaining cardboard as a stencil? Seems like it would have been easier. I probably would have used some plastic from our recycle bin to make a free stencil. Just a thought…

I think it could have worked that way too, I just found it easier to cut the raindrop shape out and trace around it and then fill the wall in with a small brush than stab into the cardboard in the middle and reuse that shape all over the room. I worried paint would get on the back and print on the wall since it’s not plastic like a normal stencil, which can be wiped more easily before placing it each time.

I love this! I have to say, what you have done in Clara’s room has totally inspired this non-crafty, non-decorating person to do something more fun that the purple walls in my 4 year old’s room. I’m loving the canopy and the LED lights and it’s on my to-do list soon. The rain drops are perfect and seems easy enough to inspire me to do something similar, though I’m thinking stars.

Thank you so much for sharing these things! You make it seem easy and accessible to people like me!

The raindrops outside of the canopy are perfect! Yes, loving the sheltering idea for your little one. I’ve done that before where I have leftover paint for a new project and it’s a double win, especially saving money.

Have to tell you that I asked you last week about help for the magician’s costume my daughter is doing and you suggested playing cards. We added them to her top-hat when she tried it on yesterday and looked great. Thanks for the idea! One of our favorite additions, was a lit-up bow-tie.

You are right; Clara is a decorating genius! I didn’t like the raindrops in the photoshopped version you showed us last week. Now I know it’s the colors. Clara picked colors that play nicely together! Yay Clara!
I love it and even more I love that you let Clara make those choices and decisions since it’s her room.

I love this so much. That pink door is adorable. This might be kind of a silly question, but if you’re using Clara’s closet for a play room, where do you put her clothes? Do you just fold everything and put it in a dresser?

If you wanted to bring some color to the main door of Clara’s room without it being too busy, you could paint the sides of the doors Cinco de Mayo. That way, when it’s open there would be a pop of color, but when the door is closed you’d never know!

It is perfect! I love her opinions too. Such good taste! If I asked my 4 year old what she wanted in her room, it would be so chaotic and full of glitter and Dora and The Little Mermaid and have no sense to it! Great job!

I don’t think I’ve ever noticed before that your wedding band is gold. All these years my computer has been showing it as white gold. I adore home decor but bling always catches my eye first. ;) Clara’s room is adorable, seems like a place her imagination can really run wild!

Ah yes, it’s white gold but I have that rare skin that turns it immediately, so unless I get it “rhodium coated” again and again (I did that once, but it turned pretty fast again after that) it just stays sort of a rose-gold color, which I don’t mind since a ton of my earrings are gold too.

My 4 year old boy came in while I was reading this post and we talked about how Clara had raindrops on her wall and his baby brother has clouds on his wall. Then my 4 year old said “I don’t have anything on my walls. I would like cheesy crackers on my walls.” So I ask a few questions about this and he explained that he would draw pictures of the crackers and that they should have pink frames. Not sure how that would go with the pictures of cars and road signs that he has in his room but hey, it is his room so we will see if he is inspired to actually make the artwork :) You have to love the creative minds of these little people.

That’s a sweet idea! I think as soon as she’s really done with it that would go over really well! Just don’t want her to feel rushed and somehow resent the baby for taking it too early or something (we still have 6 months to go).

Ha! My husband actually read the post with me and we both were like. Raindrops. But they need to be on the outside… AND YOU PICKED IT! We didn’t even comment with our suggestion.

One thought for a similar project (baby’s room? :) )- If you don’t feel like whipping out your mad painting skills, craft vinyl works awesome for DIY wall decals. The specific name you’d want is Orical 631. It worked great, stayed on in a room of 3 little kids, and came off clean when we moved out.

Clara was so right, and you pulled it off beautifully! How about more of that soft pink in a lantern or bead chandelier over the bed? I’m loving that color and the idea of bringing it down from the ceiling.

I did nothing house related this weekend. In fact, I’m pretty sure that I have no clean utensils at the moment. That said, I did organize a Trunk or Treat for 500, so I’m giving myself a pass on that one this week ;)

That looks so awesome! And how wonderful that Clara picked it out. It is so fun when they are big enough to give input – especially when it is something for them. And the “it’s…truly magnificent!” Dying! My 3yr old son often corrects me of I say “David, isn’t that cool?” ” No, it’s beautiful!” This age is so much fun. The other day he pulled your book off our bookcase and told his little sister that it was story time. “It’s story time, Ellie, we are going to read Young House Love.” And he opened it and started reading it to her. I think he has excellent taste in books :o)

Looks amazing! We worked on our kids’ bedroom this weekend too. I made no-sew curtains after picking the fabric out with my older son. First time making curtains, and I was SO proud of myself. They look great! Thanks for the inspiration and the tutorial!

It looks great! I was “worried” before when you put the blue curtains and grey/teal carpet in the room with the pink pillow on the bed. I was like “ummmmm…it doesn’t ‘go.'” It certainly goes now! You did a great job of being patient and thoughtful so everything ties in together really well. And most importantly, Clara loves it and is involved, so that’s even better!

It’s a little girl’s dream room! Just wondering, did you try cutting the raindrop into an inverted stencil, where you could just paint it with the stencil right on the wall? It seems like it would be quicker, but might not make as clean of lines.

Yes, that’s exactly what I worried about (paint getting on the back of the cardboard cutout and resulting in sort of messy and muddled lines (I like plastic stencils since you can wipe the back between each application but cardboard seemed like it might still soak up some paint that could transfer onto the walls).

Yes, we don’t want anything too bold under there would be a smart move (bed = sleeping) but someone said a soft pink paper lantern might be nice for her to gaze up at, which I think could be really sweet!